Postnatal Depression Nearly as Common in Dads as in Moms

I thought this was interesting so I wanted to share it with our readers.

Fathers are nearly as likely as mothers to screen positive for depression in the postpartum period, according to findings reported in JAMA Pediatrics. The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that clinicians screen both mothers and fathers for perinatal depression.

Researchers studied brief depression screens that parents completed in the waiting rooms for well-child visits at five community health centers in Indianapolis. Nearly 10,000 visits for children aged 15 months and younger were included.

Fathers attended nearly a third of the visits and completed the depression screen in 8% of all visits. The prevalence of depression among screened fathers was 4.4% — similar to the 5.0% prevalence among screened mothers.

The researchers, noting the long-term consequences of paternal depression on child development, conclude that pediatric clinics are “promising settings in which to address depression in both parents as part of a family-centered approach to care.”